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The Spanish Flag in 
Louisiana 



By 

MILLEDGE L. BONHAM, JR. 



Reprinted from The Hispanic American Historical Review, 
Vol. I, No. 4, November, 1918 



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Reprinted from The Hispanic American Historical Review, Vol. I, No. 4, November, 1918 



THE SPANISH FLAG IN LOUISIANA 

Louisiana has the unique distinction of having had more flags — 
national and state — wave over her than any of her forty-seven sisters. 
Beginning with that of Spain she has had nine — some of them twice — 
of which eight may be called national and one state. Briefly, the 
eight are: The white banner of the Bourbons, the red and yellow of 
Spain^ the British flag, the tricolor of the French republic, the Stars 
and Stripes, the lone star of the West Florida Republic, the "national 
flag of the independent state of Louisiana" (1861), the Confederate 
flag. Of course if we count the various modifications that some of 
these have undergone, not nine but legion will be the number. The 
present (Pelican) state flag was not adopted until after the Reconstruc- 
tion era. Of course, after April 1862, Old Glory waved over these parts 
of the state within the Federal lines, and in 1865 was hoisted over it all. 

Our concern, however, is chiefly with the Spanish flag. It first 
appeared in the present limits of Louisiana in 1541, when De Soto's ex- 
pedition rested for a few weeks in eastern Louisiana. After his death 
his followers bore their banner through western Louisiana, then back 
to the Mississippi, down which they floated to the gulf. No settlement 
was erected at this time, so the Spanish ensign merely waved in passing. 
It was not to ifeturn for over two centuries. 

Iberville, in 1699 raised the Bourbon flag over the colony of Louisiana, 
at Biloxi, in the present state of Mississippi. The same year he dis- 
covered and named Baton Rouge, and a few years later settlements 



458 THE HISPANIC AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW 

were made in the present state of Louisiana. Doubtless La Salle 
had first displayed the Bourbon banner in Louisiana in 1682. 
He had suggested the name "Louisiane" in 1679. When in 1763, 
Louisiana east of the Mississippi was ceded to England, and the parts 
west to Spain, two banners replaced that of France: in that part of 
the state now known as "the Florida parishes", lying between the 
Mississippi and Pearl rivers, and the lakes and the state of Mississippi, 
the Union Jack floated, and Baton Rouge became Fort Richmond. 
Over the "isle of Orleans" and western Louisiana once more the flag 
of Spain appeared. Before long the scarlet and saffron was to super- 
sede the British emblem in "the Florida parishes". Governor Galvez, 
in 1779, proceeded from New Orleans with a motley force of Spaniards, 
Americans, Indians, and negroes, and seized the British posts at Man- 
chac. Baton Rouge, and Natchez. 

For three short weeks in 1803, the tricolor of the French republic 
fluttered above the "place d'armes" in New Orleans, but appears not 
to have been displayed elsewhere in the colony. During this time 
Louisiana was transferred from Spain to France, and then Laussat, 
Napoleon's agent, transferred it to the United States. As the blue, 
white and red of the tricolor descended, it miet the red, white and blue 
of the Stars and Stripes ascending. However, the Spanish banner 
continued to wave in the Florida parishes, as Spain held on to this 
region, as part of her province of West Florida, though Jefferson and 
Madison claimed it as part of the Louisiana purchase. A few years 
later, the discontented Anglo-Americans in the province organized a 
revolution, and in September, 1810, erected the "Republic of West 
Florida". General Philemon Thomas captured the fort at Baton 
Rouge, and planted upon it a blue woolen banner bearing a single 
silver star — the first "lone star" flag in American history. The new 
republic applied for annexation to the United States, but as President 
Madison thought it part of the Louisiana purchase, he had Governor 
Claiborne annex it to the territory of Orleans. So now, for the first 
time, appeared the present limits of Louisiana, and over it waved the 
Stars and Stripes. 

We may note in passing that after Louisiana had seceded from the 
Union (January, 1861) and before she joined the Confederacy (March), 
her convention adopted a "national flag for the sovei'eign and inde- 
pendent state of Louisiana". This was intended to epitomize all her 
previous flags, and consisted of thirteen stripes of blue (4), white (6), 
and red (3), with a field of red containing a single yellow star. 



Gift 
Author 
KAR :: 1919 



NOTES AND COMMENT 459 

Returning to the Spanish flag, let us see what it symbohzes in the his- 
tory and civihzation of Louisiana. In the "flag number" of the Na- 
tional Geographic Magazine, three Spanish flags are given — the royal 
standard, the naval ensign and the merchant flag. The first of these is 
a purple banner, bearing in the center the royal coat of arms. Two 
stripes of red, separated by a broader one of yellow, in which appears 
the national coat of arms, make up the ensign; while the merchant flag 
is yellow with two red stripes near the upper and lower edges. The 
flag borne by Columbus, or the "standard of Spain" is given as a quar- 
tering of grey and red. A red lion of Leon ramps on the grey squares, 
while the yellow castle of Castile appears upon the red ones. Perhaps 
de Soto bore this flag too, but as an Admiral he was more likely to have 
had the naval ensign. Be that as it may, all of these colors are sym- 
bolized in Louisiana. 

The grey is represented by the Spanish moss (barbe espagnole) which 
droops so picturesquely from her cypresses and live-oaks. It also 
typifies the fogs of the Father of Waters, to say nothing of the jackets 
of the many soldiers Louisiana sent into the Confederate army. The 
flowers of her pomegranates, her hibiscus, her verbena and her roses 
suggest the red of the banner of Spain. Redder still is the ardent, 
patriotic blood of the Louisianians, whether they be Creoles or of Anglo- 
American extraction. Perhaps some of that red blood is nourished by 
the delicious "redfish courtbouillon " which the housewives of Louisiana 
know so well how to prepare. Golden oranges, the yellow jasmine, 
the acacia flower, the yellow harvest of the rice fields, the golden re- 
turn from her sugar plantations reproduce the yellow of the flag, as 
does the brilliant southern sunshine. But the golden, openhearted 
hospitality of Louisiana is the true meaning of the yellow. Even the 
royal standard can find its prototype in Louisiana. Not merely the 
purple of the sugarcane, or the lavender of the water-hyacinth, but the 
regal beauty of the daughters of Louisiana is what it represents. 

Apart from metaphor, what does the Spanish flag stand for in Louisi- 
ana? Such names as Almonaster in philanthropy, Unzaga and Miro 
in government, Gayarre in letters, Penalvert y Cardenas in religion, 
Bermudez in law, Quintero in journalism, and Matas in surgery, indicate 
some of the fields in which the Spanish element has borne a notable 
part in the development of Louisiana. Besides "peninsular" Spani- 
ards, many came to Louisiana from other parts of Spjinish America 
and many continue to come, and find a welcome. The "islenos", or 
Canary islanders, began coming in 1778, and their descendants still 



460 THE HISPANIC AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW 

abound. After the slave insurrection of 1791, many of both Spanish 
and French blood fled from Santo Domingo to Louisiana. On the 
map of the state appear many such place names as Iberia, Feliciana, 
de Soto, Galvez, and Segura. Both the name "cabildo" and the build- 
ing which bears it commemorate the Spanish regime in New Orleans. 
In this old governmental office are found many specimens of Spanish 
art, letters, and government. 

Like other Latin countries, Spain drew her law largely from Roman 
sources. This was transferred to her colonies, and in Louisiana it 
easily merged with the existing French law and the local ordinances. 
All of these, revised in the light of the Code Napoleon were adapted 
by Edward Livingston and his associates to Anglo-American juris- 
prudence to form the Civil Code of 1825, which is the basis of the law 
of Louisiana. 

The "islenos" have developed a distinctive dialect and folklore of 
their own, which was first seriously studied by the late Professor 
Alcee Fortier. 

From this hasty sketch it is evident that the Spanish influence has 
been an important one in Louisiana. It is not surprising that New Or- 
leans has always had an extensive commerce with Hispanic America. 
Today this trade- is growing rapidly, especially with Mexico, Central 
America, Panama and the islands of the gulf and Caribbean. It is also 
well-known that previous to 1860 fihbusters, such as Walker and Lopez 
made New Orleans their rendezvous. 

Louisiana State University, Tulane University, and the other educa- 
tional institutions of the state draw many students from Hispanic 
America. The Audubon Sugar School, of the State University, at- 
tracts so many, that a few years ago it was found expedient to issue a 
bulletin in Spanish. 

In the promotion of Pan- Americanism, Louisiana should and doubt- 
less will play an important part. Even today, she has sent teachers 
to many Hispanic American countries, and her leading higher institu- 
tions have Hispanic Americans on their faculties. In the great inter- 
national crisis of today, there are no more loyal and ardent patriots 
in the world than those of Louisiana; and amongst these none rank 
higher than those of Spanish descent. Their blood is as red and their 
virtue as purely golden as the colors of the banner of old Spain. 

MiLLEDGE L. BONHAM, Jr. 

Louisiana State University, 
July, 1918. 



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